Dont Get Taken Every Time or How to Break Software

Don't Get Taken Every Time: The Ultimate Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car, in the Showroom or on the Internet

Author: Remar Sutton

Now completely rewritten and back in a handy trade paperback edition

Through six editions, this invaluable tool by "Public Enemy #1 of the car dealers" (The Washington Post) has remained the definitive guide on buying or leasing a new or used vehicle. Completely updated, Don't Get Taken Every Time takes readers inside the world of the auto business itself. It exposes hundreds of tricks some dealers use to separate unwary customers from their money. Sutton alerts people to dealer scams on the Internet, tampering with credit ratings, and more. From negotiating to financing, the step-by-step techniques offered here make any car shopper a savvy purchaser.

Ralph Nader

Remar Sutton is without peer in presenting the lures, pitfalls, and price packs that are now part of so many car-dealers' practices.

Clarence Ditlow

Don't Get Taken is...a superb and witty how-to book...of the Web...on your privacy, your safety and your pocketbook. —Center for Auto Safety

Patricia Sturdevant

Don't even touch your computer before reading this extraordinary expose on the new schemes and scams in the...world of automobile sales...

Table of Contents:

	A Day in the Life of Killer Monsoon	1
Chapter 1	What's Happening to the Automobile Business?	17
	The Bad News	17
	The Grim Reality No Buying Service Wants You to Know	24
	Is There Any Good News Out There?	34
	Want to Stop Other Sites from Tracking You While You Explore the Brave New Automotive World (or Anything else) Online?	35
Part I	Forearming: So You're Determined to Skip the Dealership Entirely and Buy or Lease on the Web?	39
Chapter 2	Inside the Dealership Family	41
	Killer and His Family	41
	Who's Who Inside the Dealerships	46
	Who are the People Behind Those Web Pages and Online Services?	57
	Dealer-Controlled Sites and Buying Services	57
	"Independent" Internet Buying Services	58
	"Prospect Aggregators"	59
	Manufacturer-Related Sites	60
	Sites That Deal Exclusively in Used Vehicles	60
	Sites That Offer Only Financing or Loans	60
	Information-Driven Rather Than Product-Driven Sites	61
Chapter 3	Where's the Money? Understanding Automotive Sales Tactics and Realities	62
	Well, Just How Honest are Car People?	65
	The Salesperson's Greatest Talent	66
	The Salesperson's Favorite Targets	68
	Profits, Not Profit	69
	Supply and Demand	71
	Killer Monsoon's Favorite Selling Techniques	71
	"Will You Buy a Car Today at Some Price?"	72
	"If I Can,... Will You?"	73
	The Sincere Salesman-in-a-Contest Ploy	74
	The "I'm Salesman of the Month" Routine	74
	The "I'm a Trustworthy Salesman" Ploy	75
	"Setting You" on a Car: The Demo Ride	75
	The Old Confuse-Them-and-Control-the-Sale Ploy	76
	Justifying the Sale	77
	The Ploy of Bringing You to Their Reality	78
	The "Other Customer" Ploy	80
	The Old "Lease 'Em a Car Instead" Ploy	81
	The Return of Balloon Payments	82
Chapter 4	Dealerships' Favorite Selling Systems on the Showroom Floor and on the Web	83
	The "T.O." System	83
	The Four-Square System	84
	The Note System	86
	The Tower System	87
	One Price, No Hassle Systems	87
	"YoYo" Selling or "Spot" Delivery	89
	"Credit Doctor" Scams	91
	The Advent of Major Dealerships Designed Solely for Subprime Borrowers	93
	Welcome Centers	96
	Getting a Deposit	96
	"What 'Unauthorized' Credit Report?"	98
	The Raise	100
	Lowballing	101
Chapter 5	A Look in the Mirror: Know Yourself	102
	"In the Bucket" and "Dipping": The Problem with the Chases	104
	Singing the Blues: The Trouble with the Allgoods	107
	The Newest Toy: The Problem with the Estrums	111
	Facing our Foibles: The Problem with All Car Buyers	112
	How Naive Are You Really?	113
	Are You an Impulse Buyer? Impulse Buyers Are Favorite Targets	113
	What Should You Buy?	114
	Need Versus Want	114
	What Can You Really Afford to Pay Per Month?	117
	New Versus Used: What's Better for You?	119
	American Versus Foreign: Is There a Meaningful Difference?	125
	Will You Be "Trading Down"?	126
	Things that Impress and Terrify Salesmen: Traits You Can Cultivate	127
	Taking Control and Staying in Charge	127
	Wariness on the Web	129
	Indecision	129
	Lack of Enthusiasm	130
	Non-Romantic Attitudes	131
	Patience	131
	Impatience	131
	Steel Boots Prevent Shot Feet	131
Chapter 6	Know Your Present Car	132
	Do Three Wrights Make a Wrong?	132
	The Previous Sections of This Book Haven't Exactly Added to the Romance and Mystique of Auto Transaction	134
	The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same	135
	Doing It Right in the Brave New Automotive World	135
	Making Your Current Car Worth More	136
	Is Your Old Vehicle a Popular Vehicle?	138
	What's Your Car's Mileage?	139
	Computing Your Old Car's Wholesale Value	139
	How to Determine the Wholesale Value of Your Car	142
	Shopping for Wholesale Value the Wright Way	143
	Become a Road Hog for a Day	145
	Options for Shopping Wholesale Value on the Web	146
	Individual Dealer Web Sites	146
	Established Used-Vehicle Market Guides Online	148
	Other Automotive Sites That Will "Appraise" Your Vehicle	149
	Car Depreciation Calculators	149
	Calculate Your Equity in Your Car's Wholesale Value	150
	Why Fool with Your Old Car? Give It Away as a Tax Deduction!	150
	Should You Retail Your Car Yourself?	151
	How to Retail a Vehicle	158
	Your Hour on the Stage	163
Chapter 7	Dollars and Non-Sense: Or, What You'd Better Know About Financing, Even If You Pay Cash	164
	Could This Really Happen to You?	177
	Is The Car Business Really This Relentless in Ripping Every Penny From Even the Poorest Customer?	177
	Won't Financing on the Web Save Me from This?	178
	Some Other Creepy Realities You Need to Think About	180
	Your Credit History Isn't What You Think It Is	180
	What Are Your Financing Sources?	186
	Uncle Festus or Aunt Bea	186
	Cash Value in Your Life Insurance	186
	A Home Equity Line of Credit	186
	Credit Unions	187
	Brand Name Prime Banks	192
	Online Loan Companies and Services	193
	The "Captive" Sources	194
	New Dealerships Discover Buy Here-Pay Here	198
	Stand Alone Buy Here-Pay Here Used Car Operations	199
	Title Loan Operations	200
	I've Decided to Pay Cash and I'm Using a Web Service	201
	Should You Buy Credit Life or Disability Insurance?	201
	Okay, Let's Find the Cheapest and Best Loan	204
	And a Poke in the Eye, Too	206
Chapter 8	How Much Car Can You Afford?	207
	The Concept of "Available Cash"	207
	Test Time!	210
	Auto Sellers Want You to Look at the Money Differently	211
	Developing Your Available Cash Figure Based on Your Own Budget and Assets	214
	How Much Money Should You Finance on a Particular Car? What Down Payment Is Best?	216
	How Much Down Payment Is Enough?	217
	What Is the Minimum Down Payment Possible on a New Vehicle?	217
	What Is the Minimum Down Payment Possible on a Used Vehicle?	218
	Determining Available Cash for Different Buying Situations	218
	If You Plan to Buy a New or Used Vehicle and Have No Trade	219
	If You Plan to Buy a New or Used Vehicle and Have a Debt-Free Trade	219
	If You Plan to Buy a New or Used Vehicle and Owe Money on Your Trade	220
	Next Steps	223
Chapter 9	The Big Fantasy: Automobile Advertising and Sales Events	224
	The Many Moods of Advertising: What's Your Fantasy?	225
	Did You Hear the Funny One About Truth in Automobile Advertising?	228
	The Special Millenium Edition Auto Advertising Parlor Game	231
	Now to the Parlor Game	232
	Do Car People Ever, Ever Have Real Sales?	237
	Is There an Easier Time to Buy?	237
	So Are There Any "Best Times" to Buy a Car?	239
Part II	Battle Time	241
Chapter 10	Battle Time or Dueling with Killer, a Moral Tale, Sort Of	243
Chapter 11	Shopping for a New Car the Right Way Whether You Plan to Buy at a Dealership or Online	255
	What Do Vehicles Really Cost?	256
	Dealer Invoice	256
	Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)	257
	Dealer's Sticker	257
	Choosing Dealerships for Shopping, Buying, and Service	259
	Tips for Choosing a Dealership	259
	Why Can't I Skip Dealerships and the Web Entirely?	261
	Does It Make Sense to Order a Car Rather Than Buy From Stock?	262
	Ordering at a Dealership	262
	Ordering a Vehicle Online	263
	What About Buying "Demos," "Demonstrators," "Executive," or "Program" Cars?	263
	Thinking About a Truck or Full-Size Van?	264
	Researching Vehicles That Fit Your Budget	264
	Are You Planning to Buy on the Web?	267
	Dealership Shopping If You Plan to Buy a New Vehicle	268
	What Do Those Pretty Rides Cost the Dealer?	270
	What the Dealership Actually Paid	270
Chapter 12	Shopping If You Plan to Buy a Used Car or Used Truck at the Dealership or Online	273
	Preparing to Shop	274
	Money! Why All This Work Is Worth It	277
	Why Buying Used Is Harder	277
	Five Discomfiting Variables	277
	The Importance of "Loan Value"	278
	Used-Vehicle Sources: From the Internet to Aunt Wilma and Her Neighbor	280
	Used Vehicle Sources on the Web	283
	Other Offline Sources	285
	Using a Telephone "Service" to Locate Your Car	288
	Checking Out a Used Vehicle	288
	Researching Specific Used Vehicles That Fit Your Budget and Needs	290
Chapter 13	Negotiating for a New Vehicle at the Dealership	293
	"Just What Is a Fair Deal? How Do I Know When to Say Yes?"	293
	Handling High-Pressure Techniques	295
	Your Hour Upon the Stage: The Importance of Play-Acting	300
	Doing It by the Numbers If You're Buying New	300
	Here's the Scenario	301
	Dealing with the Store	304
Chapter 14	Negotiating for a Used Vehicle at the Dealership	308
	"Just What Is a Fair Deal? How Do I Know When to Say Yes?"	309
	Handling High-Pressure Techniques	309
	Your Hour Upon the Stage: The Importance of Play-Acting	311
	Doing It by the Numbers If You're Buying Used	311
	Here's the Scenario	312
	Dealing with the Store	314
Chapter 15	Negotiating Online for a New or Used Vehicle	318
	A Tangled Web	318
	How to Buy a New Car, Click by Click, on the Web	327
	Negotiating for a Used Vehicle, Step-by-Step, on the Web	333
Chapter 16	Leasing a Vehicle	338
	The Good and, oh, So Bad of Leasing	342
	Just What Is a Lease?	343
	What Happens When You Buy?	343
	Leasing the Same Car	344
	Enter the Real World	344
	Who's Making the Big Profits Here? The Leasing Companies or the Dealerships?	345
	Lease Terminology Adds to the Budget Carnage	347
	The Deliberate Lack of Understandable "Back End Clauses" Compounds the Carnage	347
	Then There's "Flipping"	348
	"Assuming Leasing Can Still Be a Good Deal at Times, How Do I Know If It's Made for Me?"	349
	Are There Tax Advantages to Leasing?	351
	Are There Many Leasing Companies out There?	351
	Are There Different Types of Leases out There?	352
	Leasing Terminology	353
	Leasing the Right Way	357
	What About Leasing Used Cars?	365
	If Your Present Car Is a Lease Vehicle	365
Chapter 17	Lomax	367
	Endnotes	371
	Appendix	377
	How to Figure Loan Cash From a Payment	377
	Using the Chart to Determine Payments	379
	Automotive Manufacturers Web Site Addresses	379
	Web Site Addresses for Captive Financing Companies	382
	Warranties, New and Used	382
	What About New-Car Service Contracts	383
	Used Car Warranties from Best to Worst	385
	A Note on Deposits	387
	Used-Car Service Agreements	387
	Negotiating for Vehicles in Other Buying Scenarios	388
	Cars Rented by Major Rental Companies	394
	Glossary	395
	Checking Out a Used Car or Used Truck	398
	Personal Used Car Checklist	398
	Index	405

See also: Bayou Cookbook or Enoteca

How to Break Software: A Practical Guide to Testing

Author: James A Whittaker

Practical tutorial on how to actually do testing by presenting numerous "attacks" you can perform to test your software for bugs.

• Practical approach has little or no theory, but shows real ways effectively test software—accessible to beginners and seasoned testers.
• The author is well known and respected as an industry consultant and speaker.
• Uses market leading, and immediately identifiable, software applications as examples to show bugs and techniques.

How to Break Software is a departure from conventional testing in which testers prepare a written test plan and then use it as a script when testing the software. The testing techniques in this book are as flexible as conventional testing is rigid. And flexibility is needed in software projects in which requirements can change, bugs can become features and schedule pressures often force plans to be reassessed. Software testing is not such an exact science that one can determine what to test in advance and then execute the plan and be done with it. Instead of a plan, intelligence, insight, experience and a "nose for where the bugs are hiding" should guide testers. This book helps testers develop this insight. The techniques presented in this book not only allow testers to go off-script, they encourage them to do so. Don't blindly follow a document that may be out of date and that was written before the product was even testable. Instead, use your head! Open your eyes! Think a little, test a little and then think a little more. This book does teach planning, but in an "on- the-fly while you are testing" way. It also encourages automation with many repetitive andcomplex tasks that require good tools (one such tool is shipped with this book on the companion CD). However, tools are never used as a replacement for intelligence. Testers do the thinking and use tools to collect data and help them explore applications more efficiently and effectively.

James A. Whittaker is a well-known speaker and consultant, as well as seasoned professor.